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The Concept of `Paradox' in the Work of Max Weber

University of Western Sydney, Australia, msymonds{at}uws.edu.au

Jason Pudsey

Flinders University, Australia, jason.pudsey{at}flinders.edu.au

This article argues that Max Weber's use of the concept of paradox has been relatively under-examined in the secondary literature. It argues that there is a highly distinctive form of paradox that Weber uses extensively throughout his writings. Weber deploys this term in two main senses: as a universal condition of human action; and as a specific way of understanding the logic of western modernity. The article suggests that this latter sense lies at the heart of Weber's understanding of agency in modernity.

Key Words: modernity • paradox • unintended consequences • Max Weber

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